USA > Wisconsin > Marathon County > History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens > Part 78
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University of Minnesota. In May, 1906, he was admitted to the Wis- consin bar and has been engaged in the practice of his profession at Wausau ever since. On July 1, 1909, when the office of Divorce-counsel was established by act of the legislature, Mr. Smith was appointed divorce counsel of Marathon county, and each year was reappointed and served in the office until October, 1912, when he resigned. From early manhood he has been more or less active in politics and in the spring election of 1912 was a candidate for municipal judge but was defeated by Hon. Louis Marchetti, the present incumbent.
On June 16, 1904, Brayton E. Smith was married to Miss Mary K. Babcock, of Clinton, Rock county, Wis., and they have one son, Orvis B. Mr. Smith is identified with the Knights of Pythias and belongs also to the Fraternal Reserve Association.
CHARLES H. WEGNER, general merchant, who has been a resi- dent of Wausau, Wis., for twenty-nine years and established here in his own business for almost a quarter of a century, is one of the city's re- liable, substantial and truly representative men. He was born in Ger- many, January 28, 1863. and the first twenty years of his life were spent in his native land and his education was secured in the German schools.
Charles H. Wegner decided very early in life to become a merchant and in early manhood decided that the United States could offer better opportunities than were to be found in his native neighborhood, and after landing at the port of New York, came immediately to Wausau, Wis .. where already many of his countrymen had settled. He very soon secured employment as a clerk in stores and served in that capacity, in the meanwhile learning the English language and the important de- tails of merchandising, until 1888 when he embarked in business for himself, opening up in what was known as the old Kickbush Block, on the corner of First and Scott streets and has occupied this site ever since, now owning his fine brick structure which includes Nos. 502-504 First street. He carries one of the largest as well as most carefully selected stocks in the city, covering many commodities : dry goods, groc- eries, boots, shoes, china and crockery, together with flour and feed. His present enormous business has been built up on a foundation of honesty and he has customers who have dealt with him from the be- ginning. His place is the trading headquarters for a very large per- centage of the farmers. campers and loggers in the surrounding coun-
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try, his long experience enabling him to provide just the goods these patrons want, while his honorable business methods are well known to them and their confidence in his integrity is unquestioned.
On April 23, 1889, Mr. Wegner was married to Miss Emma Kick- bush, a daughter of the late Hon. F. W. Kickbush, who was once con- sul from the United States to Germany.
JOHN M. KUEBLER, president of the J. M. Kuebler Co., manu- facturers of sash, doors, etc., at Wausau, has been a resident of this city for more than thirty years and is well and favorably known in substan- tial business circles. He was born at Batavia, Genesee county, N. Y., June 30, 1864, and is a son of M. F. and Catherine Kuebler.
The parents of Mr. Kuebler moved to Fond du Lac, Wis., in his childhood and he attended the public schools there and learned his trade in one of that city's manufacturing plants. When he came to Wausau he entered the employ of Curtis Bros., now the Curtis-Yale Company, with which he continued for thirty years and for twenty-six of these was superintendent of their great plant. In March, 1912, the J. M. Kuebler Company was organized, Mr. Kuebler becoming president, and gen- eral manager, taking over the old plant of the Werheim Company. They then entered upon the manufacture of sash, doors, etc., on a large scale and the business has prospered from the beginning.
Mr. Kuebler married Miss Margaret Single, a member of one of the old pioneer families of Wausau, and they have one son, Benjamin G. While Mr. Kuebler has never been very active in politics, he has taken much interest in Masonry and is a Knight Templar, a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine.
GEORGE H. HALDER, who is now serving in his fourth year as deputy state oil inspector, has charge, as janitor, of the Court House at Wausau. He comands the respect and enjoys the confidence of his fellow citizens, with whom he has been officially associated for many years. He was born at Pittsburgh, Pa., April 11, 1866.
Mr. Halder came to Wisconsin in boyhood and attended school in Manitowoc county until 1881, when he came to Wausau. He learned the baker's trade but never followed it, other and more congenial lines occupying his attention and for twelve years he was in partnership with his brother in the plumbing business at Wausau. He has always been a zealous republican and has served both as supervisor and as alderman
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from the First Ward. Prior to accepting the position of oil inspector he served two years as under sheriff of Marathon county, under sheriff Damon. He has had charge of the Court House for some time, being now in his third year as janitor and during this period has made many personal friends among the office holders and visitors to the building, his efficiency and courtesy being often a subject of favorable remark. Mr. Halder married Miss Aurora E. Ringle, a daughter of Valentine Ringle, and they have two children: Leona C. and Aurora C. Mr. Halder belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the E. F. U.
JOHN P. YOUNG, confectioner, who is one of the representative . business men of Wausau, was born August 11, 1860, at Berlin, in Green Lake county, Wis., a son of John Young who was a farmer there.
John P. Young was reared on the home farm and was seventeen years of age when he came first to Wausau where he remained for several years and, in fact, has lived here ever since with the exception of seven years. After learning the confectionery business in all its branches, including the manufacture of such dainties as ice cream and sherbets, he began business for himself, December 10, 1891, as a dealer and in the following year began manufacturing. His first location was on Washington street, then he was in the Lawrence Building for nine and one-half years and has occupied his present quarters for the past two years. His business is an extensive one and he largely manufac- turers for the city trade.
Mr. Young was married at Wausau on April 5, 1884, to Miss Sophia E. Peterson, who was born at Watertown, Wis., but was reared in Marathon county. They have two children: Roscoe B., who married Charlotte Stowe; and Margaret Ann. Mr. Young takes all the interest in local matters that good citizenship demands. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Arcanum.
F. BERNARD KOSCHMANN, general merchant at Wausau, Wis., his fine two-story brick building being located at Nos. 1419-1421 Third street, has been here as a resident since 1877. He was born in Germany, January 1I, 1845, and is a son of Charles and Christiana Koschmann whose lives were passed in Germany.
F. Bernard Koschmann was reared and attended school in his na- tive land, learned the carpenter trade there and worked at the same until 1872, when he came to the United States. He found plenty of employ-
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ment at Chicago, Ill., where he remained for five years and then came to Wausau and worked for three years in the Plumer mill. He then entered the employ of the Curtis Bros. Co., now the great Curtis & Yale Company, and for six years was foreman in their yard. In 1888 he established a retail business in the Blumenkamp Building at 1406 Third street. The following year he built a store at the corner of De Kalb and Third streets, which was partially destroyed by fire in 1900; he at once rebuilt and enlarged the building which he has occupied ever since.
At Chicago, Ill., Mr. Koschmann was married to Miss Augusta Langhuth, who died in 1881. They had had three children: Emma, who died in childhood; Gustav, who lives at Spokane, Wash .; and Hat- tie, who died in childhood. Mr. Koschmann then married Johanna Lad- wig, who died three years later, leaving two children: Otto, and Johan- nes, who is with his father. Mr. Koschmann subsequently married Miss Emma Mathwich and they have nine children: Bennie, Anna, who died in childhood, Ella, Walter, Edward, Arthur, Martin, Hannah and Her- bert. Another member of the family is an adopted daughter, Mary Lad- wig. Mr. Koschmann is a member of the Lutheran church and one of its board of trustees. He has been a useful and reliable citizen ever since he came to make this his home. His sterling qualities have been recog- nized and twice he has been elected a member of the city council, retir- ing from office in 1910, with a clear record for honesty and efficiency.
JACOB VETTER, who is the oldest born resident now living in the town of Marathon, owns 226 acres of fine land lying in section 30, three miles south of Marathon City. He was born in the town of Mara- thon, Marathon county, Wis., August 24, 1858, and is a son of George and Julia (Keifer) Vetter.
George Vetter was born in Germany, a son of Louis Vetter, who died when the child was nine years old. He attended school and then learned the mason trade and when eighteen years of age came to the United States by himself and found his first home at Pittsburgh, Pa. There he worked at his trade and there warried Julia Keifer, who was also born in Germany and had come to America when aged eight years. While Mr. and Mrs. Vetter continued to live at Pittsburgh, three chil- dren were born, Joseph, George and John, one of whom died there. When George Vetter and family came to Marathon county he secured ninety-two acres of the present farm of his son Jacob. It was heavily wooded but, with the help of his sons it was all cleared and put under
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cultivation and later on he acquired 280 acres more. At first a log cabin sufficed for the family shelter, with only an earthen floor, and fireplace built in a stone wall, that served for heating and cooking. All the fur- niture was constructed of rough boards and poles brought in from the forest, but, in spite of its many deficiencies, here were born and com- fortably reared a happy family of chidlren and the survivors recall their parents with feelings of reverence and affection. The children born after the family came to Marathon county were: Jacob, Frank, An- thony, Herman, Elizabeth, Ann and Mary. George Vetter built the first brewery in Wausau and the place was long known as the Vetter Cellars. His wife died at the age of fifty-four years but he lived to be seventy-nine years old, dying on the present farm, April 15, 1902. They were mem- bers of St. Mary's Catholic church. He was a strong democrat and was widely known, spending a part of his time at Wausau in his brewery and a part on his farm, and was well thought of by everyone.
Jacob Vetter had district school advantages and afterward worked on the homestead. He is interested largely at the present time in stock- raising and is a stockholder in the Range Line Dairy Company, which plant is on his farm. Mr. Vetter married Miss Augusta Lemmer, who was born on an adjoining farm, a daughter of the late John Lemmer, and they have the following children: Priscilla, Isabel, Hugo, Rodeby, Elizabeth, Bruno, Mary, Mark, Mattie, Jacob and Alexander. The fam- ily belongs to the Catholic church and Mr. Vetter is a member of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin. Politically he is a democrat and has served as assessor and at present is serving in his second term as treas- urer of the school board.
WILLIAM SCHUBRING, deceased, for many years was a well known farmer in the town of Wausau and one of its most respected citi- zens. He was born in Germany but from boyhood desired to try his fortune in America and his opportunity came when he was nineteen years of age and he landed in the United States. He had prepared to come directly to Marathon county, Wis., and when he reached here he located on the farm on which one of his sons now lives. He followed farming and lumbering on the river and during his entire active life was a man of industry and thrift. He did not, however, live into old age, his death occurring on July 10, 1904, when aged fifty-five years. At that time he owned 120 acres of improved land, which he had assisted to clear, and
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had put up all the substantial farm buildings. His burial was in the cemetery of the Lutheran church in the town or Wausau.
William Schubring married Miss Barbara Deck, daughter of Christ- ian Deck who was born in Germany and brought his family to America. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Schubring, namely: Fred, who married Louise Borchert, of Columbus, Wis., and they have two children: Lydia and Elmer; Henry, who married Lily Harding, and they have two children: Gertrude and Eleanor; August, who married Talitha Lange and they have two children: Orville and Evelyn; Clara, who married William Trittin and they have two children: Lawrence and Henry ; Adolph, who lives at home; Mathilda, who is the wife of Gustave Prey, and they have a daughter named Ruth; and Helen and George, both living at home. Mr. Schubring never took a very active part in politics but usually. voted with the republican party. He was a member of the Lutheran church and gave it support according to his means.
MORRIS LIPSKI, who is engaged in the manufacture of awnings, tents, shades and mattresses and does general upholstering, located at No. 6 Washington street, Wausau, came to this city in 1900 and went into business first as a general repair man. He now has a business that extends into a half dozen counties and he gives constant employment to about five men.
Mr. Lipski was born March 27, 1875, in London, England, and was five years old when his parents brought him to the United States. For the first nine years the family remained in the city of New York, after which he went to Chicago, Ill., and from there to Wausau, where he not only has built up a first class business but has made many personal friends. He was married in this city to Miss Lena Boudreau, and they have one son, James. He is identified fraternally with the Odd Fellows and the Elks and belongs also to the United Commercial Trav- elers' Association.
CLIVE S. CONE, proprietor and manager of the Grand Opera House at Wausau, Wis., also manager and director of Cone's 4th Regi- ment Band and Orchestra, is one of the best known residents of this city which has been his home for eighteen years. He was born July 23, 1873, at Waterloo, Jefferson county, Wis., and is a son of George H. Cone.
Clive S. Cone was reared and attended the public schools at Water-
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loo and was only a boy when his musical talent was recognized and he became a member of the local band. Later he traveled as a musician and actor with theatrical troupes all over the United States, coming to make his home in this city, in 1898, and has had much to do with the public amusement business here. As proprietor and manager of the Grand Opera House here and as a member of the Northwestern Theat- rical Association and Theatre Owners Association, of U. S. and Canada as well as manager and leader of the military band of twenty-five pieces, all experienced musicians. Mr. Cone's name is a familiar one from coast to coast. The Grand Opera House was erected in 1900 and is one of the finest houses of its kind in Wisconsin, having a seating capacity of over 1,200. Here Mr. Cone gives the people of Wausau and nearby towns and environs fine amusements, including first class attractions of every kind and aspecial vaudeville and moving picture entertainment is given on Saturdays and Sundays. Although his musical and theatrical in- terests are large, Mr. Cone has additional ones, being local agent for the Studebaker automobiles and owner of the Wausau City Bill Post- ing Company.
Mr. Cone married Miss Laura Anna Peters, who was born at Wau- sau, a daughter of Hugo Peters, a well known resident. During the Spanish-American War, Mr. Cone was in service as bandmaster and chief musician of the 4th Regiment Military Band, during the larger part of the time being stationed at Anniston, Ala.
MARVIN BRISTOL ROSENBERRY, attorney at law at Wausau and a member of the prominent law firm of Kreutzer, Bird, Rosenberry & Okoneski, has been a resident of this city for the past twenty years. He was born in Medina county. O., February 12, 1868, and is a son of Samuel C. and Mary (Hitchcock) Rosenberry, and a grandson of Samuel Rosenberry, who moved from Montgomery county, Pa., to Medina county, O., about 1840.
Samuel C. Rosenberry, who still resides with his wife on his farm in Kalamazoo county, Mich .. to which he came in 1868, from Medina county, O., is one of the highly respected retired residents of that section. In 1862 he enlisted for service in the Civil War, entering Co. I, Io3rd O. Vol. Inf., and remained until the close of hostilities, receiving his honorable discharge in 1865. He is a carpenter by trade and for many years of active life fol- lowed farm pursuits. On September 20, 1866, he was married in Ohio to Mary Hitchcock and a family of four sons and four daughters was born to them, namely: Marvin B .: Alice, who is the wife of Herman Stofflet, a
MARVIN B. ROSENBERRY
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farmer in Montana; Bertha, who is the wife of Jason Harrison, residing in Kalamazoo county, Mich .; Erva, who is the wife of Fred Hitchcock, a farmer in Cass county, Mich .; Ada, who is the wife of John Stofflet, a den- tist in business at Bishop, Calif .; Walter Samuel, who is manager of the Rose Lake Lumber Company, at Rose Lake, Idaho; David Dudley, who is superintendent of the Elk River Lumber Company, of Elk River, Idaho; and Harry Lloyd, who died August 25, 1900.
Marvin B. Rosenberry was six months old .when his parents came to Michigan. He attended the public schools and the State Normal School and then entered the University of Michigan and was graduated at Ann Arbor in the law class of 1893. In August, of that year, he opened his law office at Wausau, having prepared for college in the law office of Silver- thorne, Hurley, Ryan & Jones, of this city. Mr. Rosenberry practiced alone for about eighteen months. On January 1, 1895, he became associated with partners and the firm of Bump, Kreutzer & Rosenberry continued until Jan- uary I, 1901, when it was dissolved, following which the firm of Kreutzer, Bird & Rosenberry was organized, this continuing until Mr. Okoneski was admitted to partnership on September 1, 1908. Although his practice has absorbed the greater part of his time, Mr. Rosenberry has given some atten- tion to outside interests and was one of the organizers, in 1905, of the Wis- consin Valley Trust Company, of which he is vice president and is also president of the Edgar Land Company and of other concerns. Although business and professional life have laid heavy burdens on him, Mr. Rosen- berry has never been disposed to forget the duties of good citizenship and in what he believes to be a worthy cause is an enthusiastic worker. A stanch Republican he served as chairman of the county Republican committee from 1898 until 1904 and was very active in the campaign in the latter year.
On September 2, 1897, Mr. Rosenberry was married to Miss Catherine Landfair, daughter of Capt. John A. and Florence (Winslow) Landfair, and they have two children: Catherine and Samuel Landfair, a daughter, Florence, being deceased. The family belong to St. John's Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Rosenberry is junior warden. He is a Knight Tem- plar Mason and an Elk and belongs to the leading organizations of his pro- fession in the country and to the University Club at Madison and the Wall- sau City and the Wausau Country Clubs.
ANTON SAUTER, justice of the peace in the town of Stettin, is a leading citizen and extensive farmer in this part of Marathon county, owning 200 acres of excellent land situated in sections 8 and 17, making
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his home in the former section, seven miles northeast of Marathon City. He belongs to one of the solid old German families established here more than fifty years ago and was born April 2, 1860, in Marathon county, Wis., on a farm one-half mile south and one-half mile east of his present home farm. He is a son of Ottmar and Theresa (Loy) Sauter.
Ottmar Sauter was born in Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1829, and came to America in 1857 and shortly afterward reached Wisconsin, working on a farm at Watertown before coming to the town of Stettin, Marathon county. He married Theresa Loy, who was born in Austria, a daughter of Anton Loy, and the following children were born to them : Anton, Frank, John, Rosa, Mary, Elizabeth, Francis, Annie, Clara and Ottmar. Clara died in 1881, her burial being at Marathon City. The father, with the help of his sons, cleared up a large farm and was able to assist his children in getting established in life, giving a farm to both the oldest and the youngest sons. When ready to retire from active farm work he moved to Marathon City and lived there into his seventy-fifth year. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church, as was also his wife, who died when aged sixty-one years, and their burial was in the church cemetery. He was a stockholder in the Mathie Brewing Com- pany.
Anton Sauter attended the public schools in boyhood, and afterward, following his father's example, kept busy, working in the nearby mills and on the farm, up to the time of marriage, and then took charge of his present farm which his father gave him as a reward for years of faithful service. Here Mr. Sauter has made all the improvements and has cleared fifty acres of his land by himself. It is well adapted to crop production and also to the growing of cattle and Mr. Sauter devotes considerable attention to raising fine Guernsey and Holstein cattle, his herds making an excellent showing in comparison with others in this section. His two brothers, Frank and John, are prospering in South Dakota. The former, a cigarmaker by trade, took up a homestead in South Dakota in 1885 and still later a tree claim there. John Sauter is a carpenter by trade and continues to work at the same, renting out the farm he acquired in South Dakota. The Sauters are all substantial men and reliable citizens of their communities. Anton Sauter has been clerk of School District No. 5. town of Stettin, since 1893 and for the past ten years has been a justice of the peace.
On October 30, 1888, Mr. Sauter was married to Miss Catherine Lang, a daughter of George and Kunigunda (Temple) Lang, former
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residents of the town of Cassel. To Mr. and Mrs. Sauter the following children have been born: Joseph, born August 24, 1889, died May 24, 1890; Mary, born October 16, 1890; Regina, born January 7, 1892; Ed- ward, born May 16, 1893, died August 17, 1893; Annie, born June 2, 1894, died August 25, 1894; Frances, born July 28, 1895; Frank, born August 3, 1897, died November 17, 1898; Adalina, born April 22, 1899; Emma, born November 11, 1900; Olive, born July 24, 1902; Laura, born May 9, 1904; Anton, born July 3, 1905; Flora, born July 23, 1966; and Cecelia, born May 6, 1910. The family belongs to St. Mary's Catholic church. In politics Mr. Sauter is a democrat. He is a stockholder in the City Bank at Wausau and is a member of the Stettin Mutual Insur- ance Company.
JOHN H. CHESAK, who, for the last fifteen years has been secre- tary of the Board of Education at Athens, Wis., for many years has been engaged in the lumber industry and is one of three brothers owning the Athens Manufacturing Company, a firmly established and highly prosperous business enterprise of Marathon county. He was born in Washington county, Wis., April 13, 1862, and is a son of Martin and Mary (Sigmond) Chesak.
Martin Chesak and wife were natives of Austria. They came with their children to America in 1857 and sought a home in Washington county, Wis., and for three years Martin Chesak followed his trade of brickmaker. He then engaged in farming until 1884, when he came to Marathon county and afterward, until his death, was interested in lum- ber and merchandising. His children were: Joseph; Barbara, who is deceased, was the wife of Herman Schrieber; John H .; Mary, who is the wife of Joseph Masak; Frank F., who is prominent in public affairs in Marathon county ; and Josephine, who is the widow of John A. Blecha.
John H. Chesak has been a resident of Marathon county since he was nineteen years of age, and has spent twenty-one years at Athens, Wis. He was given excellent educational advantages, attending the Normal School at Oshkosh, Wis., for three years and taking a commercial course of one year at Wausau, and for eight years before embarking in the lumber business was a school teacher, teaching a district school one year and one village school six years.
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